January 21, 2003

UMBC Hosts Look at 'Frontiers of Photonics Research'

The University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) welcomes some of the nation's top fiber optics and photonics researchers from industry, academia and government today as the University's new, NASA-funded Center for Advanced Studies in Photonics Research (CASPR) hosts the conference "Frontiers of Photonics Research."

CASPR, a new center funded by a June, 2002 NASA grant, is managed under the NASA-Goddard Space Flight Center's Engineering Directorate. The creation of CASPR builds upon research that has been conducted at several UMBC departments for many years. Eight research projects from UMBC's departments of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, Physics, and Mathematics/Statistics were chosen as CASPR's inaugural programs.

A prestigious list of speakers is scheduled for the forum. Corvis Corp. CEO David Huber and former American Optical Society president Anthony Johnson are among those scheduled to discuss the future of research in fields such as optical communications, optical sensing, and quantum optics and how it will impact the Baltimore/Washington economy.

"It's very important to talk about the role of photonics research in economic development and innovation in the Baltimore-Washington region," said UMBC President Freeman A. Hrabowski, III. "I'm pleased to see our research strengths in optics and photonics recognized by the private and public sectors."

"CASPR is an outgrowth of years of ground-breaking photonics research at UMBC that is supported by the federal government and the excellent private companies in the Baltimore-Washington corridor," says Dr. Robert Schiffer, interim administrator of CASPR. "The fact that such a prestigious group of scientists is gathering here speaks volumes about how UMBC and this region are increasingly being seen as the place to be for the future of photonics research."

"Frontiers of Photonics Research" will take place from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. today in UMBC's University Center Ballroom. The invited speakers, UMBC officials, and photonics faculty researchers will give talks and presentations throughout the day, which will conclude with tours of UMBC's photonics research facilities.